THE FUTURE OF WORK: A shift in mindset

We often think of careers with a linear mindset. A climbing the ranks of job seniority, from trainee to executive office. But what we need to realise is that the job market is experiencing a massive shift with careers of today becoming not-so-linear.

So what exactly are these shifts?

1. Jumping across industries and careers

Jumping across industries and changing careers is becoming a popular habit for many Australians. With larger access to diplomas, certificates and online study options individuals are able to up-skill themselves and move across fields much easier than ever before. The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) found a number of studies which estimated that on average Australians now entering the workforce will make 17 changes in employers across 5 different careers throughout their entire working life.

2. “Portfolio Careers”

Experts are predicting that the trend in ‘portfolio careers’ will become the accepted norm over the next 50 years, with traditional fulltime roles going out the backdoor. Employees will juggle multiple jobs and employers under their own personal brand.

The 9 to 5 grind will be replaced with flexible work hours, with rigid working hours becoming a thing of the past. Employees will now be compensated for their achievements rather than their time spent working. Working spaces will no longer be confined to the traditional office with homes, cafes and outdoor spaces becoming the new and improved office space.

3. New innovative positions incorporating a number of roles into one.

Technologies and global forces are resulting in new, diverse and complex roles continually being created. Many incorporating what was once a number of different roles into one through the use of more efficient practice and technology. The Australian Workforce & Productivity agency in their government sponsored report found that traditional job roles are now being supplemented by growth in fields which did not exist a few years ago. For example, in the field of medicine – biomedicine, engineering and biotechnology are new areas of work which did not previously exist. In business, fields of work such as digital marketing and entrepreneurship are rapidly growing as well.

The World Economic Forum has argued that “in many industries and countries, the most in-demand occupations or specialities did not exist 10 years ago.”

So what does this mean for our current educational mindset? WE NEED TO SHIFT!

From a jobs focus to a skills focus:

Educational institutions and students themselves need to be focusing on building a portfolio of skills rather than tailoring study towards one particular job. If they are wanting to thrive in this new dynamic work environment, a focus on building skill sets will enable them to be more adaptive to new roles, opportunities and demands of this future workforce.

This will also mean we need to shift our approach towards job searchand the recruitment scene. Forget the cliché resume template uploaded to specific job titles. Innovative recruitment portals such as I Want 2 WORK enable individuals the ability to better showcase themselves and their skill sets through an online profile. Features such as a video resume and video reference effectively showcase these skills, ultimately demonstrating the ways in which technology is transforming our approach to work.

Don’t be left behind – change your mindset, focus on building your skills and showcase them with